Related top topics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A title sequence is the method by which
cinematic films or television
programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual
visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused
with the opening
credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of
superimposed text.

Contents

History

Since the invention of the cinematograph, simple title cards were
used to top and tail silent film presentations in order to identify
both the film and the production company involved, and to act as a
signal that the film had started and then finished. In silent
cinema title cards were used throughout to convey dialogue and plot
and it is in some of these early short films that we see the first
examples of title sequences themselves, being quite literally a
series of title cards shown at the beginning of a film. The arrival
of sound did little to alter the convention except that the
sequence was usually accompanied by a musical prelude.

This remained the convention for many years until the advent of
television forced the major film studios to invest in developing
cinema in order to win back a diminishing audience. The "cast of
thousands" epics shot on various patent widescreen formats were a direct response to
television's successful invasion of the leisure marketplace. Part
of cinema's new prestigious and expansive quality were orchestral
musical preludes before the curtains opened and long title
sequences — all designed to convey a sense of gravitas it was hoped
television would be unable to compete with. As cinema's title
sequences grew longer we begin to see the involvement of graphic
design luminaries such as Saul Bass, which directly influenced the
1960s television predilection for creating strong graphics-led
sequences for many shows.

Film-makers at the beginning of the 21st century have many
options open regarding title sequences. Some films superimpose opening credits
over the opening scenes, while others elect to do away with titles
entirely, instead including elaborate title sequences at the end of
the movie.

The commercial environment that television inhabits encourages a
more formatted approach and, although there are some one-off
anomalies caused by production or technical errors, the television
show without a regular identifiable title sequence of some kind is
unknown.

Movies

Since the late 1950s, film title sequences have often been a
showcase for contemporary design and illustration. The title
sequences of Saul Bass
and Maurice
Binder are among the best examples of this though they inspired
many imitators both in cinema and on television. In recent years Kyle Cooper's
celebrated title sequence for David Fincher's Se7en (1995) again
influenced a whole host of designers, though it is by no means
unusual to see a film whose title sequence merely superimposes text
over a black background, reflecting that the form's function
remains the same today as it did with the advent of silent
cinema.

Some earlier films, however, did feature unusual and fairly
elaborate title sequences. In the 1936 Show
Boat for instance, little cut-out figures on a revolving
turnable carried overhead banners on which were displayed the
opening credits. [1] This
opening sequence was designed by John Harkrider,[2] who
created the costumes for the
original 1927 Broadway production of the musical.

Television

In general a television title sequence will at some point badge
the show with a typographic logo. Around this key element can be
incorporated shots of highlights from earlier episodes or shows and
key presenters' or cast members' names. Musical accompaniment can
be either instrumental or a song and aided by the visual treatment
of the images helps to convey the tone and mood of the
programme.

In serials, because a title sequence is produced at the outset
of a series, it will usually include scenes from early episodes
already shot when the sequence was prepared. Short clips of key
characters will often climax in a freeze frame as that cast member's
name is superimposed. In and around these elements will be other
footage depicting the locale (a particular city, country, building
or fictitious location) in which the series is set and therefore
its era. A title sequence might also be used to explain the premise
of a series, traditionally utilising clips from its pilot episode.

Although a title sequence may be modified during a series to
update cast changes or incorporate new "highlight" shots from later
episodes, it will tend to remain largely the same for an entire
season. Such is the strength of a title sequence in expressing the
concept of a show, it will sometimes be the key element a producer
will target in order to revamp a show between seasons. Therefore
some shows have enjoyed several quite different title sequences and
theme music throughout their runs, while in contrast some
ever-popular shows have retained their original title sequences for
decades with only minor alterations. Conversely, retaining a
series' original title sequence can allow a producer to change many
key elements within a programme itself, without losing the show's
on-screen identity. Other variations include changing only the
theme music whilst keeping the visuals or vice versa.

In contemporary television news a title sequence can be changed
every day by including footage of that day's news with a
presenter's voice "teasing" the items. This ensures that the title
sequence appears fresh but still identifies the news programme by
its music and visual style.

List of television series whose title sequences have regular subtle
changes

Some shows have title sequences that are subtly different in
every episode (or season). Some famed title sequences with
variables include:

Current
series

American Dad – Stan picks up a
newspaper with a unique headline (seasons 1-3); Roger appears in
Stan's car wearing a different disguise (fourth season on).

Doctor
Who – For the first 26 years of its run, the Doctor
Who title sequence changed for every doctor, featuring the
actor's face from the second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) through the
seventh (Sylvester McCoy). Since its revival in
2005 the title sequence has undergone only minor changes (the actor
names, a slightly redesigned logo from the third season onwards,
and a new arrangement of the theme introduced for the fourth
season). As of 2010, however, a completely new logo has been
created for the fifth season, the first to star Matt Smith as the
eleventh Doctor, and it is likely that the title sequence will be
similarly reworked.

TNA
Impact! and TNA Xplosion – the openings change
regularly as wrestlers are hired and fired and as championships
change hands.

Sarah Silverman
Program – Sarah introduces herself and the other
characters through a series of slides, which are different in every
episode.

Pokemon (anime) - The Japanese version has
various subtle changes throughout the opening sequences.

Past
series

Animaniacs - at the end of their theme
song, a different lyric is sung with a related clip.

8 Simple
Rules (episodes with John Ritter) – where Kerry, Cate, Bridget
and Paul open the front door and look one at a time at a supposed
new date of Bridget's or Kerry's. The camera goes from the door to
the doormat with the show's name, then the door opens again, Rory
shows up and does something that changes between title sequences:
he looks at the camera with disdain, takes a picture of the date
with a camera, takes away the date's flowers, etc.

Charmed/Gilmore Girls
– Whenever a regular is absent from the episode, he or she is also
absent from the title sequence.

Garfield and Friends – The
series had three very different theme songs during its run, but
they all ended the same way – after the show's logo and Garfield
appears, he says a quick and often humorous message.

The Grim
Adventures of Billy & Mandy – After the opening (or
sometimes after the first commercial break following the opening),
Mandy walks out and says something before the the episode
begins.

The
Critic – Jay answered a different phone call and was later
shown reviewing a different movie parody clip in each episode.

The Dick Van Dyke Show –
Rob (Dick Van
Dyke) entered through the front door and tripped over the ottoman. Three versions were
filmed: one in which he trips over the ottoman, one in which he
steps around it, and a rarely seen third variation in which he
avoids the ottoman but then trips on the carpet. The episode's
editors were instructed to use them randomly.

Ellen – Many episodes opened
with Ellen
DeGeneres introducing a performer who was playing the theme
song that week while she held up a sign with the name of the
show.

Frasier – The
Frasier logo changed color every season, and 20 different
animations involving the logo's skyline graphic alternated throughout its
run.

Friends – The
clips of each character were excerpts of the first half or the
second half of the season. When Courtney Cox married David Arquette,
all actors added "Arquette" to their last name for one
episode.

That 70s Show – Similar to L.A. Law, the license
plate at the end of the credits signifies the year in which the
episode takes place.

Roseanne – The camera turns
360 degrees, showing the family having dinner or playing a game,
always ending with Rosanne laughing wholeheartedly. The last season
featured a montage of pictures of the cast set to lyrics sung by
John Popper of Blues Traveler.

The Cosby
Show - The 1984-92 series changed its opening credits of
the cast dancing (1985-92) while Season 1 had still images of the
Huxtables playing baseball.

Video
games

Soon after computer games began to appear on PC's as well as
their own dedicated games units, many began using the conventions
of film and television title sequences for their introductions. In
particular, adventure games often have CGI sequences which act as a
teaser or cold open
before a music-laden title sequence that does exactly what film and
television title sequences do: prepare the viewer for the kind of
experience he/she is about to have. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
uses the the third mission of the game as a title sequence; the
player controls the perspective, though not the movement, of a
character in first-person, and various events play out around him
while the credits appear onscreen.